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Passersby and media got an eyeful at the Edmonton Police Service headquarters Thursday afternoon with a display of vintage police vehicles and what could be the latest and greatest.

With the retirement of Ford’s Crown Victoria Police Interceptor line, the EPS is looking for what’s next in cruisers.

A Dodge Charger with that new car smell and just 238 clicks on it debuted in Thursday’s parade. Other models getting a critical look include the Ford Police Interceptor sedan, the new Chevrolet Caprice police pursuit vehicle, a Toyota Camry hybrid and a Ford Fusion hybrid.

The sedans all hover around 300 hp.

Painted with EPS insignia, the Charger presented Thursday - not the hemi version prized by speed enthusiasts - is still untested on the streets of Edmonton, except for a little pomp and circumstance.

“This is the first time this thing has seen the street,” said EPS Const. Scott Anthony, who gave a few members of the media a spin around the block.

The Charger had room for Anthony’s six-foot-10 frame.

Meanwhile, Edmonton motorcycle police have made the transition to German engineering.

A BMW motorcycle on display at police headquarters Thursday after the parade was one of a fleet of 10 chosen after the German make outperformed the Harley-Davidson in testing by officers over the past two years, said Sgt. Jerry Sobchyshyn of the Edmonton Police Service traffic enforcement unit.

“It’s high performance ... It has superior breaking ability and overall handling,” he said. The new motorcycles, which pack 115 hp, weigh in at a svelte 650 pounds - almost a third lighter than the beefy American Harley-Davidson units they tested.

A greater lean angle - 45 degrees to the Harley’s 30 degrees - will mean less instances of the machines scraping the pavement, he said.

“If you scrape anything with this one, you’re probably close to falling over,” he said. The bikes will be used by the newly formed traffic enforcement unit, as well as by the collision unit.

“The old ones were breaking down, so they were costing more,” he said,

noting the current aging fleet dominated by Harley-Davidson includes bikes that range from 10 to 16 years old.

Sobchyshyn estimated 450 policing agencies in Canada and the U.S. have switched to BMW motorcycles for their officers; of those, about 30 of the departments are in Canada, with the majority of those in Quebec.

The fleet change-up opens a unique opportunity for area motorcycle buffs; the retired Harley-Davidson “hawgs” will be put up for auction.